Andray Blatche leads Gilas trip to Spain

MANILA, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas leaves for Spain today to rev up its preparations for the FIBA World Cup with a 10-day training camp and a few games there.

Naturalized player Andray Blatche spearheads an 11-man contingent set to do sessions and play tuneups with the national squads of Congo, Ivory Coast, and possibly Spain as Gilas tries to master coach Yeng Guiao’s system and achieve cohesion and match fitness.

“I feel like we’re all ready and very excited to go to Spain, work hard and compete,” Blatche said after yesterday’s practice.

Blatche is joined by Gabe Norwood, Mark Barroca, CJ Perez, Robert Bolick, Paul Lee, Poy Erram, Japeth Aguilar, Matthew Wright, Beau Belga and Kiefer Ravena in the Spanish trip held less than a month before the World Cup tipoff on Aug. 31 

Eight of the mainstays in Guaio’s 19-man pool aren’t flying to Spain, including Fil-Am NBA star Jordan Clarkson, who’s yet to get clearance to play as a local. Raymond Almazan couldn’t be with the contingent due to visa problems while RR Pogoy, Troy Rosario, June Mar Fajardo and Christian Standhardinger are seeing action in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals. Marcio Lassiter and Stanley Pringle are nursing injuries.

Gilas is slated to travel to Guadalajara to engage Congo and Ivory Coast in a pair of tuneup games, then the nationals are off to Malaga for a mini tournament, where they’ll play Congo for the right to face the winner of the other match between the global basketball power Spain and Ivory Coast.